The fifth Die Hard film, A Good Day to Die Hard, won’t be shooting for a while yet. But yesterday we got word that one of the last big casting choices had been made, as Jai Courtney was cast as the son of John McClane (Bruce Willis). We don’t have any new details on the film, but there is an image of Courtney and Willis at least vaguely in character, from the screen test that won the role for the younger actor.

Deadline ran this pic yesterday after updating their article on Courtney joining the film; Bleeding Cool has a better image. It’s a bit disingenuous to call this a real first look, but given the relatively basic look of the characters in the Die Hard films, it’s probably a good indicator of what to expect. And look at how the elder McClane seems to be taking issue with how the younger is going about his business. Maybe this will really just be like a sweded version of the fourth Indiana Jones movie?

I’d really like to be optimistic for this one. Die Hard is nearly a perfect action movie; the first sequel is a pale recreation, but the third is two-thirds excellent. Until it dives into the tunnels and leads towards the final scenes, there is really great stuff in Die Hard With a Vengeance. Hell, the film has the balls to not even show Jeremy Irons’ face for forty minutes, and yet he’s a credible threat throughout.

I don’t like Live Free or Die Hard much as a movie, period, but with respect to the series it makes the secondlook like pure gold. It’s just another big, goofy action film.

With Skip Woods writing and John Moore directing this fifth effort I’ve got no interest in it, no matter what the plot is. (For reference, John McClane goes to Russia to try to get his son out of jail, and big bad terrorist stuff ensues.) Maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised. And hey, those Blu-ray transfers of the first and third movies make them worth watching once again.